Bucs Free Agency Grades After The First Wave: Tampa Bay got some wins, but still has a lot of work to do
The Buccaneers made some good moves, but they still have some big needs.
The first wave of NFL free agency has passed us by and it was an eventful period for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
We can sit here and briefly gloss over the details before expanding on them below, but I say let’s cut through the noise and jump right into handing out grades for the Bucs’ moves, re-signings, and departures that occurred last week.
What grades did the Buccaneers get for the first wave of free agency?
Departures
- WR Mike Evans (San Francisco 49ers)
- CB Jamel Dean (Pittsburgh Steelers)
- DL Logan Hall (Houston Texans)
- RB Rachaad White (Washington Commanders)
- DB Christian Izien (Detroit Lions)
- QB Teddy Bridgewater (Lions)
It’s tough to grade departures on an individual basis, but we can certainly grade them as a whole.
Starting with Evans – the Buccaneers had to watch a legend walk away and it definitely wasn’t easy and it definitely stung. Based on Evans’ comments during his introductory presser with the 49ers and his contract details, it was clear there wasn’t much Tampa Bay could do to get him to stay. He wanted to move on.
How much are the Bucs to blame for that is the question. Last year’s debacle definitely didn’t help and Evans has been in the NFL for over 10 years, while seeing both the lowest of lows and highest of highs.
In other words: He could sense the Buccaneers weren’t the contenders he needs right now at this point in his career. He’s right too, with Tampa Bay running it back, it shouldn’t be considered as such. And if they fired Todd Bowles? There’s no guarantee he would’ve seen things any differently. Overall, I don’t think Evans’ departure is much of the Bucs’ doing, at all, just a tiny fraction.
As for the others – Jamel Dean and Rachaad White were all but gone. There were no surprises there, even after Dean’s career year. Logan Hall was assumedly gone, as well, although there was some thought he could stay.
Christian Izien wanted a bigger role and Teddy Bridgewater is clearly comfortable in Detroit, where’s he formed a strong bond with Dan Campbell and Co.
In all, I don’t think the departures are too much on the Buccaneers and outside Evans, they were all pretty much expected. Still, they lost some key guys and there are no guarantees their production is upgraded, or even replaced, in 2026.
Overall Grade: B–
Re-signings
- TE Cade Otton (Three years, $30 million)
- TE Ko Kieft (One-year, TBD)
- Grade: A
- RB Sean Tucker (Tendered at $3.52 million)
- Grade C+
Otton’s deal is tied for 14th-most out of all tight ends on a per-year average and it’s 10th in total guaranteed money. His two-year cash flow ranks 10th, as well.
So, it’s a good deal for both Otton and the team. He’s a complete tight end who, while not dynamic in the passing game, is reliable. He’s a team-first guy that won’t fire anyone up in the locker room – he lets his actions do the talking.
It’s a solid deal for a solid player. That’s as good as you can get in free agency.
As for Kieft, I don’t think it’s much of a coincidence the Buccaneers special teams was as bad as it was after he went down in Week 2. Sure, it probably wouldn’t have been a good unit even with Kieft on the field, but he certainly would’ve helped keep it from hitting rock bottom like it did.
A one-year, likely vet minimum deal, is great for an underrated player like Kieft.
Lastly, the Tucker signing is great for depth, but it’s a bit pricey at $3.52 million. Tucker is currently the 32nd-highest paid running back on an AAV average and he’s 27th in total cash for 2026. The latter number is more than superstar running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who’s slated to make $3,183,429 in cash this year.
That definitely dings the grade, quite a bit.
Overall Grade: B
Outside additions
- LB Alex Anzalone (Two years, $17 million)
- RB Kenneth Gainwell (Two years, $14 million)
- DL A’Shawn Robinson (One-year, $10 million)
- EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad (One-year, $6 million)
- Grade: B-
- QB Jake Browning (One-year, TBD)
- Grade: C
The Buccaneers added Al-Quadin Muhammad, who is coming off a career year with 11.0 sacks. He mentioned past schemes as a reason for the low sack totals he’s amassed since 2017, so it’ll be intriguing to see how he fares in a Bowles’ aggressive defense.
A’Shawn Robinson will bring some much-needed fire and attitude to the defense and he’s capable in both run defense and his pass rush abilities. He also adds a lot of size at 6-foot-3, 320 pounds, which will come in handy next to Vita Vea. Robinson and Muhammad won’t completely solve the Bucs’ pass rush issues, however, they should help improve the situation to a certain extent.
Robinson’s contract is pretty pricey, however, which takes his grade down just a notch. Whereas Muhammad’s deal reeks of a Shaq Barrett-type situation and we all know how that played out.
But, the Buccaneers didn’t add a true No. 1 pass rusher, which hurts this overall grade. Yes, the Baltimore Ravens totally threw a wrench in the Bucs’ Trey Hendrickson plans after backing out of the Maxx Crosby trade. At the same time, though, it’s not like Hendrickson was the lone guy on the market.
We don’t know just how hard they fought for the other guys, but it shouldn’t be too hard to convince a player to come play for Bowles. Overall, it should be considered a failure in terms of pure results.
The Anzalone and Gainwell moves will both add elements to the Buccaneers offense and defense that were sorely needed. Anzalone is the do-it-all linebacker Bowles’ defense requires in order to performa at a high level and yes, he turns 32 in September, but the tape shows he still has plenty left in the tank.
Gainwell gives the Bucs another explosive ball carrier in the backfield, which they didn’t have with Rachaad White. While Gainwell caught 73 passes last year, don’t sleep on his rushing ability, where he averaged 4.7 yards per carry on 114 attempts.
And last but not least, Jake Browning is a smart guy, but last year’s section of his resume leaves a lot to be desired and plenty to be concerned about. Browning owned it to trying to play too much hero ball last year and the self-awareness is respectable. However, it’s tough to tell if he’s an upgrade over Bridgewater and we won’t know until we know.
The Buccaneers’ additions are solid, overall, but the inability to add a true No. 1 threat on the edge stings.
Overall Grade: C+
What’s the Buccaneers’ overall grade for the first wave of free agency?
Overall Grade: B-
Again, I don’t blame the Buccaneers much at all for Evans’ departure, but that, along with the lack of adding a true EDGE threat are easily the two biggest “dings” of the offseason, so far.
There’s also another big question surrounding these moves: Do any of these guys actually push the Bucs up the ladder, or are they more keeping them from falling down? Yes, a couple of these guys are considered upgrades, but they’re not to the point where it’s signing an elite talent you just know will come in and ball out from Day 1.
Value signings are essential to staying competitive, but the Buccaneers need a splash. As a collective, they might get it, but none of these guys are going to take a game over on their own or anything like that.
And the splash they did have in guys like Evans, and even Dean, is gone. Overall, I’d consider the first wave of free agency a success for the Buccaneers, but they still have a lot to figure out. Especially at cornerback, EDGE (still), linebacker, and the interior offensive line.
